Chapter 3

Night had fallen and the world was silent, the crackling of the fireplace an exception. Regina sat in a nondescript armchair, staring into the flames. After her conversation with Ravenna, she was shown to a guest room where she then situated herself in aforementioned armchair. She had not moved since then, not even when servants came and lit the fire. She had declined dinner, and she had refused to allow the ladies' maids to undress her.

It had been approximately seven hours since arriving in this new land and Regina was puzzled, to say the least. Another Evil Queen? Another Snow White? What did this mean? Were there more worlds with other versions of the people of the Enchanted Forest? She would have to look into this when she returned home to Mist Haven.

Mist Haven. That's it. Maybe Ravenna had not heard of the Enchanted Forest but she might have had heard of Mist Haven, the common name for Regina's home in her realm. She would have to remember to ask Ravenna in the morning. In the meanwhile, she needed to confront Sidney.

Walking over to the vanity in the corner of the room, Regina sat down in front of it.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall," Regina sneered, "Who is the fairest of them all?"

The silver of the mirror rippled and Sidney's smug face appeared in the glass.

"My queen, since when have you ever cared about who is fairest?" Sidney simpered, "I trust your visit has been very beneficial thus far."

The man in the mirror was giving himself far too much credit. Regina hadn't accomplished anything and as far as she was concerned, this visit only provided more problems to solve and questions to answer. Sidney was getting on her nerves.

"No Sidney, I can't say that it has been. You have proved, once again, to be as completely useless as you have always been." Regina stood abruptly, making Sidney jump in surprise. One could not easily jump when one was simply a floating head in a mirror, but the coward managed to. Shaking her head, Regina waved her hand and Sidney's face vanished from the glass. She could not deal with him right now.

…..

Ravenna paced back and forth on the hard stone floor, her footsteps echoing throughout the circular room. This Queen Regina posed many questions and possibly problems. Ravenna had felt the raw magic emanating from the brunette, she was definitely powerful. Depending on her true intentions, this could either be very good or very bad for the blonde queen.

Stalking over to the golden disc on the wall, the silver crowned queen began to chant.

"Mirror mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

The gold of the mirror rippled and slowly oozed out onto the hard floor, taking the shape of a vaguely human-esc silhouette.

"It is you my queen. But I must warn you, if you do not soon consume Snow White's heart, you shall wither and die. No amount of magic will be able to save you." the golden specter's deep voice resonated throughout the room.

Ravenna's powers had already begun to weaken, she had known this. She had taken two more girls than her usual count and yet she had already begun to feel drained once again. But first things first.

"Who is this Queen Regina?" Ravenna snapped at her mirror.

"She is you my queen. Another version of you, albeit an incredibly different you, but she serves your purpose in another realm. In the land of Mist Haven, known by its inhabitants as the Enchanted Forest, there is another Evil Queen, Queen Regina of the Dark Kingdom. There is another Snow White, princess of the White Kingdom. However, their storylines are entirely different than those of this realm. They are different people, but they are the same." The mirror spoke slowly.

Ravenna was intrigued. She had guessed that there were various counterparts in both Tabor and the Enchanted Forest, but it baffled her. She waved her hand and the mirror melted back to its original position. Turning on her heel, she walked quickly out of the room and down the hall. She was going to pay a certain guest a visit.

….

Regina was restless. She had given up trying to sleep and instead was pacing in front of the fireplace. She often had trouble sleeping as of late. Every time she got close to getting her revenge, her plans were thwarted. She could not rest, it seemed, until she crushed Snow White's heart. A hard knocking sounded at the door, causing Regina to jerk her head towards the sound.

"Enter," she sneered, conjuring a fireball in her palm. Whoever thought it was okay to disturb her at such a ghastly hour was sorely mistaken.

However, when the golden haired queen stepped into the light cast by the fireplace, the flame in her hand promptly flickered and died, causing the blonde to raise her brows.

"Are you always this receptive to guests?" she jested, amused.

Regina scowled, turning to face the fireplace.

"So. Queen Regina of the Dark Kingdom. It does have a certain… something to it. Tell me, since there is another Snow White, is there another Huntsman in the Enchanted Forest? Or am I just lucky to have Eric as a traitor?" Ravenna asked, her tone kept amiable.

Regina snorted. It would seem her blonde counterpart had the same troubles when it came to hired assassins. Graham was a major disappointment, and with his... credentials, she hadn't expected him to go soft for her raven-haired stepdaughter.

"Coincidentally, just before I came to your kingdom, my huntsman, Graham, thought he could trick me by bringing me the heart of stag. The fool actually thought I wouldn't know the difference, when I have crushed the hearts of so many." shaking her head, the brunette turned to face the green eyed queen.

Ravenna gestured for Regina to walk with her. As the pair made their way through the cold corridors of the castle, they came to a silent understanding. Together, they would stop at nothing to right the wrongs against them. The two monarchs would do this themselves, and they would do it right- the first time.